Sibir Novosibirsk - HC Traktor Chelyabinsk predictions and free betting tips [28/12/2023]

The 2023/2024 Continental Hockey League regular championship. The penultimate big game day will be kicked off with a clash for a favourable position in the playoff eight, or, in the worst-case scenario for both teams, for the playoffs. Sibir from Novosibirsk will host Traktor from Chelyabinsk. 

Sibir Novosibirsk

The team from the Siberian capital was a pleasant surprise at the end of the first half of the championship. Astonishingly, when nothing hinted at such a move, they decided to switch their head coach, specifically David Nemirovsky. No, they did it right, before the break, so the team would have time to adjust to the new coach and rectify some strategies. The belief was that Sibir was already performing at its level and even above. After the pause, Sibir played four matches and gained five points, plus an additional victory against Barys in the first match after the coaching change.

Currently, Sibir is ninth in the championship, earning 48 points after 45 matches. These points were achieved through 13 regular-time wins, seven wins beyond regular time and eight losses with one point. Sibir lost the remaining 17 matches without additional points. Sibir has defensive issues, conceding 123 pucks and ranking third from the bottom in this regard. When it comes to goal scoring, they are only slightly better, featuring at the fifth bottom with 106 pucks. 

Traktor Chelyabinsk

The team from the Southern Ural capital returned from the break in a splendid form. In the four matches that Traktor played after the break, they earned seven out of a possible eight points. Moreover, Traktor scored quite a lot: three against Avtomobilist, three against Dynamo, five against KunLun and five against Severstal. The goal scoring aspect was problematic for Traktor before the break. Now, the team is compensating excellently, striking their chances superbly even though the overall performance might not be at its best. As they say, result is what matters most, and Traktor is delivering it perfectly at the moment.

Traktor currently ranks fifth in the championship table, earning 53 points from 44 matches. Chelyabinsk's team attained these points through 18 regular-time wins, six wins beyond regular time and five losses with one point. They lost the remaining 15 matches without additional points. Traktor's defence is commendable, ranking fourth in the East with 103 pucks. They've significantly improved their attack, securing the fourth position with 117 pucks. 

Head-to-Head

Sibir and Traktor have faced each other 54 times. Out of these, Sibir won 22 times, while Traktor clinched 32 victories. This season, Traktor proved superior in both encounters, with scores of 2:1 in penalties and 5:4 in overtime. 

Prediction

Traktor is favoured to win this match, with offering odds of 2.48, while for Sibir it stands at 2.65. It's more prudent to place your bet on Traktor's victory, as the team from the Urals seems to be in a stronger form than their Siberian competitors. 

Total Prediction

In my opinion, the better bet would be TO (4.5) at 1.97, considering that both teams tend to concede and score fairly often. Hence, a combined total of at least five goals seems likely to be achieved.